Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gravity Falls, Dipper or Mabel. Anyone else, I simply made up on the spot.
A/N: Since my last story, I had intended to add a bonus chapter and continue posting stories, but the inspiration was lost and I got caught up in that horrible thing called life. I'm back now; but since school is returning in a matter of days, I might be popping in and out.
This is a one-shot, there will be no continuation of sorts for this. I'll probably be making a bunch of one-shots from now to avoid needing to drag on a series or something. So hereya go.
Characters: Lil' Dipper and lil' Mabel
This year's winter was a rough one.
Dipper could tell just by doing comparisons. The chill seeped through his worn fluffy jacket much more sharper, his boots stomped onto icy slush much more often, and it seemed that every time he glanced in the mirror after even a minute outside, he had ridiculously rosy cheeks.
The weather hardly affected him though. The eight-year-old skipped through the crowd, his backpack thumping against his back, the few books and a couple pencils rattling around inside. School let out a few minutes ago and Dipper effectively assured his mom that he was visiting a friend's house.
That wasn't true though.
The child came to a stop at a nearby bus stop, standing by the pole and remaining quiet and out of the way. He got a few curious glances from the other people waiting for the bus, obviously confused as to what a child was doing waiting for a city bus. One person even offered the bench, but Dipper refused.
The young boy shoved a hand in his pocket, fingers closing over the worn dollar bills he'd been saving for weeks. Him and Mabel didn't get an allowance since Father lost his job, and once he got another one, Mother stated they couldn't do allowances right now. They had bills to pay and food to replenish and the twins were fine with that.
But Dipper still held on to every dollar a relative gave him, every cent he found on the ground. He hoped he had enough.
The bus pulled up with screeching brakes and everyone piled on. Dipper scrambled after, pulling fifty cents from his opposite pocket and dutifully handing it to the driver with a "Thank you, sir!"
No one seemed to question the child alone on the bus, probably assuming one of the adults he was trailing after was a parent. Dipper didn't have enough of himself uncovered to assume relations. His dark brown hair was shoved in a beanie, half of his chin was hidden in the collar of his jacket, and he wore thick mittens and big snow boots with holes beginning to appear on the bottom. The bright blue backpack with its straps sitting on his shoulders gave the only indication from where he'd come from.
He plopped himself in a seat and waited as the bus jerked forward, before easily chugging on down the street. He felt unusually tired just from the extended walk and his fingers were going numb.
He breathed into his hands, the warm air in the bus slowly bringing back feeling. As he was trying to warm himself, a man sat down beside Dipper.
"Hey, kid. What're you doing all alone?" The man questioned, stroking his stubby beard on his chin. Dipper looked at the man curiously, wondering why he didn't have any winter clothing. There was a cigarette box sticking out from the man's pocket too. Dipper felt his nose scrunch up in resentment. He hated cigarette smell.
"I..." The eight-year-old hesitated, thinking about the "Don't Talk to Strangers" rule, but figured it was kinda okay. He wasn't TRULY alone. The bus was packed with people returning home from work or heading to the shops. He nodded in determination.
"I'm going to buy a present for my sister!" Dipper announced proudly. "It's her birthday today! And technically, it's my birthday too, 'cause we're twins."
"Wow. You're so generous!" The man praised and Dipper beamed. "Do you want me to help you? I can take you to a toy shop I know...it's got lots and lots of toys!"
"I dunno..." Dipper mused, patting the money in his pocket. "I don't have a lotta money."
"I can help you pay." The man insisted.
Dipper shrugged. "Hmm...I guess so! Then I can buy her something EXTRA good. She likes extra stuff. She always asks for extra ketchup on her hamburgers and extra glitter for art projects and extra cookies, but Mom doesn't fall for that..."
The bus stopped and Dipper spotted the shops in the distance, their bright lights glowing in the overcast gloominess of the day. Like it held warmth and happiness.
And Mabel's present! Dipper thought excitedly.
"Here we are. C'mon, son," The man said, extending his hand for Dipper to hold. The boy accepted it, the two easily stepping out of the bus looking much like a father and son duo.
They began to cross the few streets in the path towards the shops and Dipper hummed, thinking to himself about what he'd buy Mabel. She wanted a unicorn plushie for a while...and she also really liked cupcakes! Maybe since the nice man wanted to help, Dipper could buy both! Then Mabel would be REALLY happy.
"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name," The man questioned and Dipper smiled a toothy grin. "People call me Dipper!"
"Alright, Dipper. I know a shortcut to the stores!" The man assured. "We just have to cross this street and enter that alley over there."
Dipper followed the man's finger to the dark and rather foreboding alley across the street, between two vacant-looking buildings, and frowned. "Are you sure? Kinda looks like we'd get lost."
"Nope. I'm reaallly good with directions," The man insisted and a weird smile appeared on his face. "Trust me it'd be much quicker and maybe we'd have time to get your sister the really good stuff before it's gone!"
"Can't we just walk the usual way?!" Dipper tugged at the man's hand to loosen his own, but the man's grip suddenly became very strong.
"Uh...I wanna let go!" Dipper urged, pulling at the man's hand. "I wanna let go!"
"No, you can't. You might get lost," the man said sternly, but the creepy smile stayed. "C'mon, just to that alley there."
"Nuh-uh! I wanna GO!" Dipper shrieked, wrenching his hand away and quickly running off towards the street.
"Hey!" The man cried out, chasing after Dipper. The boy veered away from the crosswalk, speeding across the road, his boots slapping against the asphalt.
"Hey, kid!" The man barked out. "Dipper, come back-"
There was a screech of brakes and a thud and Dipper turned from the safety of the sidewalk. The man was on the floor, groaning and holding his side. The car shut off and another man stepped out and peered suspiciously at the guy on the floor before noticing Dipper. He looked surprised. "Hey! What're you doing-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence as Dipper took off towards the shops, towards light and safety and warmth. He didn't need a shortcut and he didn't like the scary man anymore.
The eight-year-old rushed as fast as he could, boots pounding against the pavement and echoing in the semi-empty street. He didn't scream due to the shock and was only puffing out breaths of steam against the frigid winter air. His backpack thumped against his back and he counted it out to distract himself as he ran.
From his frantic movements and blinded running, he ended up in the shopping center in record time.
Dipper relaxed somewhat once he was sucked in a swarm of people passing back and forth on the sidewalk. He contemplated going to a policeman to point out the bad man like they always said in school when they talked about kidnapping. But the boy thought better; his mom might get mad at him.
Besides, the bad man wasted a bunch of his time that he could've used to look for Mabel's present.
He straightened up, catching his breath, shifting his backpack on his shoulders. He eased through the crowd, pattering along the sidewalk and looking around at the small little thrift shops around him.
The words were big and long and in fancy cursive, something Dipper still struggled to decipher. Mabel read cursive flawlessly, but it wasn't like she could tag along. This had to stay a surprise.
Dipper instead resorted to staring into windows, stopping occasionally to gauge whether it was good stuff that Mabel would like. One shop window had a unicorn plushie, but it was blue. Mabel liked pink or rainbow better, so he kept walking.
Dipper finally caught sight of a shop with a plushie that Mabel would probably love; a deep velvety red with a rainbow horn. He charged to the door, slipping into the shop and hearing a bell as he entered.
The smell of knick-knacks and grandma's house met his nose and he cautiously slipped inside, the warmth nearly overpowering. Dipper stood for a minute to adjust, staying in one place enough to get the attention of a woman behind the counter.
She instantly gasped at the sight of the child within a room of fragile objects and she just about leapt over the counter. "You! Little boy! Where are your parents?!"
Dipper jumped, startled by the outburst and quickly pushing back against the glass door he'd just come through. "Uh...I'm Dipper!" He informed hastily, shoving a hand in his pocket. "I'm not gonna hurt nothing! I just...wanna buy..."
He began to point towards the little unicorn plush sitting in its spot by the window, but the woman didn't hesitate in slapping Dipper's hand. The boy yelped in surprise and the woman waved her finger at him like he was a stray dog who wandered in.
"Children are not allowed in my shop," She hissed, the word "children" paired with a nasty sneer. "You lay one finger and break something, you will pay for it. And these things are VERY expensive."
"I won't break it!" Dipper insisted. "I'm real careful, I promise!" The boy hardly broke things, often taking things with steady hands and multiple precautions. Mabel was the one who'd run around and smash things.
"No!" The woman huffed. "I said, you are not allowed in this store! Now leave!"
Dipper began to argue, but thought against it, the woman's rude and piercing glare making him back down. He dejectedly shoved open the door, trudging outside into the winter cold with the bell sounding behind him.
Dipper had been trying for a ridiculously long time to grab a plushie for Mabel, but nothing seemed to be working.
Every store he scampered into, he was immediately forced out since he didn't have "parental supervision". It never occurred to the boy twin to figure out why he and Mabel rarely ever visited these shops, and now he understood.
They wouldn't be allowed, and this was why Mom often came alone to buy things.
Dipper nevertheless attempted to sneak in anyway. He figured he could try to grab a toy and then reveal he had money, to convince the owner or worker he was truly there to buy something. But he didn't get that far, usually caught on his way to the item. He tried to defend himself and held his money out as proof, but the workers didn't sway. Some sent him apologetic looks, others glared at him in a haughty fashion like he was muck under someone's shoe.
Dipper had been trying for ANY plushie now. All sorts of animals and colors, yet he couldn't grab a single one. He'd almost managed to buy one...had come so close. The owner was a rude-looking balding man who leered and spat at the ground. The shop had reeked of cigarette smoke.
Dipper had asked for one of the plushies, but the man told him it was worth seventy dollars. Dipper had nowhere near that amount and was forced to slink out as the man laughed. Not like it hurt too much. That man reminded Dipper of the bad man back at the bus.
It was getting late and the boy knew the last bus was soon to arrive. Dipper had no other choice but to try a few last resorts, or he'd miss the bus AND his chance to give Mabel a present.
With a heavy heart, he found a new shop to try. He shouldered his way into a bakery, the smells of cake and frosting and really sweet things, as well as coffee, wafted around him. He couldn't help but smile despite his downtrodden feelings.
The bakery was empty, save for a woman behind the counter, cleaning things up with a rag and wearing a black apron. She smiled warmly at the child in the doorway, something rarely seen near the shops. "Why, hello there, sweetie. Are you lost?"
"Nuh-uh," Dipper answered, approaching the glass pane that displayed colorful assortments of cupcakes. "I'm uh...I'm here ta buy a cupcake."
He expected yelling or a glare or even a shake of the head, but the woman instead beamed. "Sure! What would you like?"
Dipper's eyes widened. That was very surprising. He felt a small smile begin to form as he pointed.
"That one right there. The colorful one!" He insisted, excitement creeping into his high little voice. "With a Happy Birthday candle!"
"Sure thing!" The nice woman scooped the cupcake up, placing it in a pink box before going to the register. Dipper giddily followed as numbers lit up on the screen.
"That'll be 10.35," the woman informed and Dipper nodded, dutifully shrugging off his backpack. He'd decided to leave his money in the front pocket, since he was typically turned down before he even could prove he had money.
The first thing Dipper noticed was the front pocket was unzipped.
"...huh?" Dipper frowned, knowing he had zipped it earlier. He reached his small hand in and dug around for the money, hoping to close his fingers on dollar bills. He only found small candy wrappers and a few pencils.
Dipper fell to the linoleum, desperately dumping his things out onto the floor. Objects rolled or slid away across the tile as he searched for the money, listened for a single coin, but was only met with papers crumbling and notebooks dropping.
"I had money! I swear! I...I think someone stoled it!" Dipper cried, tears beginning to sting at his eyes. "...I know I had the money..."
The woman looked apologetic, her hand still hovering over the pink box. Dipper peered up at her with flashing eyes full of disappointment; a little boy hurt and exhausted and tired of things.
"It's my twin sister's birthday," Dipper sniffed. "I've been spending all day tryin' to get her a present, but no one liked me in the shop...and now...I lost the money..."
He buried his face into his mittened hands and sobbed and the woman stepped back in shock, willing herself not to break into tears either. She knew this couldn't be a scam...judging by the boy's rosy appearance and shivers even in the warmth of the bakery, he'd been trying.
"I don't wanna miss out on giving her a present..." Dipper continued, raising his head and watched in a bleary screen of tears as the woman left through a backdoor, carrying the pink box with her. She didn't return after a few seconds and Dipper sighed, shoving his things back into his pack.
What was he going to do now? Not only was Mom going to endlessly question where he'd been, but now Mabel wouldn't have a present. Or worse...she got him one and he'd have to sit there in stony silence, shamefully confessing he had nothing for her.
Maybe he could share his present with her, if she did get him one. She'd probably be okay with that.
He shouldered his backpack, getting up from the cold linoleum and dragging a hand across his face to clean up the remnants of tears and possibly snot from his breakdown. He reluctantly braced for the cold, reaching out to push open the door.
"Wait!"
Dipper froze, turning his head and trying to determine whether to run or not. Instead, the woman approached him quickly, the pink box still in her hand.
She bent down to become eye level and pushed it into his quivering hands. "Here. I spoke to my boss, and he said it's on the house."
Dipper's nose wrinkled in confusion as he gazed up at the ceiling.
The woman laughed good-naturedly. "No, no. That means it's free."
"Free?" Dipper repeated in shock. "So you're giving this to me? I don't gotta pay for it?"
"Nope!" The woman replied cheerfully. "Now you better hurry if you want to catch the bus."
"Thank you, miss!" Dipper cheered before turning and running out of the shop. He didn't look back as he charged towards the busstop, clutching the pink box to his chest. He swerved through the crowd, passing by the countless shops he'd been rejected from.
The crowd had grown, and the temperature dropped, leaving Dipper to gasp for breath as his lungs ached, feeling himself jostled as he squirmed past strangers. No one paid mind to the small child attempting to cross through as fast as possible, and Dipper felt himself almost knocked down numerous times. He still kept a good grasp on the box, the object tucked into his coat sleeves, kept nice and warm and protected.
Finally, Dipper caught view of the busstop, and he scrambled over to stand by the sign. There were even more people sitting around to wait, and it was eerily quiet.
The eight-year-old shifted from one foot to another, shivers wracking his body despite being covered up with every article of winter clothing he had. It slowly dawned on him as he paced that he didn't have bus fare anymore. Another obstacle to overcome.
The boy tugged on a nearby man's sleeve, keeping the box tucked under his free arm. "Excuse me, sir. Do you have fifty cents I could borrow?"
The man turned and Dipper shrieked, recognizing the bad man from earlier. The man seemed to recognize Dipper as well, because his eyes widened, an almost predator-like gleam in his eyes.
The bus pulled up then and the crowd surged forward to board on, their focus on other things to not see the man looming over the seemingly alone child pressed up against the bus sign.
"Hi, there, Dipper," the man greeted. "Where'd you go? You left me behind and I had to take the shortcut all by myself."
"Go away!" Dipper cried, pushing past the man in a flash and practically throwing himself into the crowd. He ducked through, pushing past coat sleeves and fluffy scarves.
He snuck his way to the back of the bus, plopping onto a seat and sinking down to be unseen. No one seemed to notice he had hitched a free ride, and the bus driver only collected the fare from the last rider before shifting in his seat and going to shut the door.
Dipper poked his head up to see out the window, watching as the bad man's expression went from gleeful anticipation to crestfallen horror. It was obvious he didn't think Dipper could actually get on, having expected the child to be kicked off and left in his possession.
The man scrambled to get on the bus, but the doors closed and Dipper sat back as the bus rode along down the street, pulling away from the curb. The man screamed and waved his arms, but no one cared.
The eight-year-old sank into his seat, holding the box against his chest. He'd made it.
"Dipper!"
Mabel jumped up from the couch as Dipper walked in through the back door, carefully shutting it behind him. She rushed up to him, her huge two-sizes-too-big sweater sleeves flopping as she ran. "Gee, where were you? I had to keep telling Mom that you were with David playing tag and you missed dinner and-"
She trailed off, finally noticing the box in his hands. "...what's that? Where'd you get that? Did David give it to ya? What's in it?!"
"Happy Birthday, Mabel!" Dipper cried out, holding the box out in offering. "It took me forever, but I got you a present!"
"Me?" Mabel gasped, rolling up her sleeves before carefully accepting the pink container. "Aw, Dipper...thank you!"
"What're you waiting for? Open it!"
Mabel scampered over to the dining room table, climbing up on a chair and easing the box down on the table. Dipper seated next to her and watched as she flipped open the top and grinned.
"Whoa! Two whole cupcakes!" Mabel held up two matching desserts and Dipper stared in shock. "...what? I thought...I only ordered one!"
"Why? It's your birthday too, Silly!" Mabel laughed, punching her brother's arm. "This is so cool, Dipper! Thanks!"
"I..." Dipper stared at the cupcakes in confusion before sighing. "You're welcome."
"Here." She plopped one of the cupcakes in front of him. "Look how big these are! They're like my whole head!"
"Your head's pretty small since it's got nothing in it!" Dipper quipped and Mabel punched his arm again. "Meanie! Don't say that or I'll steal your cupcake too."
"I think that one cupcake is enough," Dipper commented, noting the frosting already around Mabel's mouth. He smiled, carefully picking up the cupcakes with still mittened hands. "Happy Birthday, Mabel."
"Happy Birthday, Dipper!"
The End